The Texture Project

Become a Texture hunter gatherer

How many different textures can you see as you are sat reading this? Close your eyes and feel what is within arms-reach. How many textures are around you?

Can you describe or photograph them?

You might like to find a collection of objects that all have the same texture. They can be any colour, size or type of object but the idea is to make a collection of at least 3 objects of the same texture. Try arranging them into a still life that is pleasing to you. Photograph them or write about them and add your photos or notes into a sketch book. Try this experiment again with several different textures. These are some of my textures:

Become a Textural Recorder

Start by finding a picture in the newspaper or a magazine that has lots of texture. Cut it out and stick it into your sketch book. Continue drawing the texture using the picture as a reference. If you find you have enjoyed this you might want to Build up a series of images in your sketchbook of textures you can see or feel or have collaged from magazines.  What different methods of mark making have you used?

Emotional Textures!

Here’s a question for you: if you had to describe a texture to how you are feeling now what would it be??

We have heard the expression feeling ‘prickly’ for example but let’s try and create a new Arts Together vocabulary of lock down emotions based on textures and textural objects. See what you come up with.

Mine by the way include on a comfortable day that I feel like I am “stroking a woollen blanket”, or if I have a sense of anticipation I might feel like I am “running my fingers through a bag of uncooked rice grains”. Can you come up with any new expressions that can record our lock down experiences?

Do share with us how you record and describe your textures.